24 May Proinsur and Andaltec have completed a world-first acoustic system for electric vehicles
Andaltec Technological Centre and the Spanish company Proinsur have completed the Avasound project, which has allowed to develop a world-first acoustic system for electric vehicles. This initiative, funded by the Spanish Centre for the Technological and Industrial Development, has created an innovative device combining three functions: AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System), car horn and driver assistance acoustic system.
Juan Carlos García, Head of the New Projects area at Proinsur, feels very satisfied with the project’s outcome. This device is a world-first, since currently there are some AVAS, car horns and driver assistance acoustic systems which are available separately but not integrated in a single device. “Lab and field tests have been completed successfully, which means that fully functional prototypes are already available. It is also noteworthy that the size of the final device is smaller than initially planned”, as he states.
Next, Proinsur intends to market this system, since there is a high demand for this type of devices thanks to the fast surge of electric vehicles worldwide. Juan Carlos García highlights Andaltec’s role in this project, which has combined Proinsur’s extensive industrial experience in the automotive sector with the technological centre’s comprehensive testing capabilities
The development process has been complex, since many technological challenges had to be overcome. The device must be placed outside, in the front of the vehicle, so it has to pass strict durability tests required by both European regulations and automotive manufacturers.
Jesús Castillo, Project manager for Andaltec, explains that this innovative acoustic system counts with several advantages, since it combines three functionalities in a single device:car horn, low speed sound emitter and reverse drive acoustic warning. It also allows for the suppression of the traditional car horn, which implies savings for automotive manufacturers, achieving some weight reduction at the same time. Weight diminution is one of the top priorities for electric vehicles in order to reduce energy consumption and extend travel range.
Besides, this sound for low speeds, which can’t exceed 65 decibels, must stop whenever the car goes faster than 20 kilometres per hour. The project displays great complexity, since the emitted sound must change frequency as the motor accelerates. This issue entails the design and implementation of a management digital system to control this functionality.
Proinsur
Procesos Industriales del Sur (Proinsur), which a founding patron of Andaltec Foundation, is a company specialising on thermoplastics transformation in order to manufacture different parts for the automotive sector. The firm counts with two production plants: one located in Martos (Jaén, Spain) and another in Tangier’s customs-free zone, which altogether span over almost 25,000 square metres. Proinsur will be in charge of manufacturing and distribution of this ground-breaking device, which reflects the company’s determined commitment to R&D. Proinsur’s factories possess all the necessary equipment for plastic material injection, part assembly, as well as quality control for parts and final products.